A drone attack on a cargo vessel off India's west coast in the Arabian Sea on Saturday was launched from Iran, the Pentagon said even as the Indian Navy launched an investigation into the strike ahead of the merchant ship's expected arrival in Mumbai on Monday.
A day after the attack on MV Chem Pluto that has 21 Indian crew members, the Navy said Sunday that a Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal specialist of the force will be embarking the vessel on arrival at Mumbai to sanitise it and undertake further investigation.
The Indian Navy continues to monitor the situation very closely with all stakeholders and remains committed to ensuring the safety of merchant shipping in the region, it said in a statement.
The Navy and the Indian Coast Guard swung into action on Saturday by swiftly deploying their assets, including a warship and maritime patrol aircraft, soon after the UK Maritime Trade Operations reported the drone "attack" on MV Chem Pluto.
The vessel, carrying crude oil to New Mangalore port from Al Jubail port in Saudi Arabia, was struck about 217 nautical miles from Porbandar on Saturday, an official said, adding there was no report of any casualties in the incident.
The Liberian-flagged vessel is now on its way to Mumbai and Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Vikram is providing security to it, he said.
A Pentagon spokesperson told Reuters news agency that MV Chem Pluto was hit by "a one-way attack drone fired from Iran".
"The motor vessel CHEM PLUTO, a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned, and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker was struck at approximately 10 am local time (6 am GMT) today (Saturday) in the Indian Ocean, 200 nautical miles from the coast of India, by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran," the spokesperson said.
The merchant vessel is set to arrive in Mumbai on Monday, Indian officials said.
Sharing details of its response on Saturday, the Navy said its "mission deployed" platforms to respond swiftly to the "maritime incident in the Arabian Sea involving a missile/ drone attack on MT Chem Pluto".
"The vessel with 22 crew (21 Indians and one Vietnamese) was reported on fire after being hit by a projectile at around 0745 hours on December 23 likely to be a missile or drone," it said.
Responding to the situation, the Indian Navy diverted a maritime patrol aircraft operating in the area undertaking routine surveillance.
The Navy also diverted the Indian naval ship Mormugao to assess the situation and provide assistance to vessel Chem Pluto, it said.
"The naval maritime patrol aircraft overflew MT Chem Pluto at 1315 hours on December 23 and established contact with the crew," it said in a statement.
It said the Navy also communicated details of the developing situation to all Indian maritime agencies for rendering necessary assistance.
The Navy said INS Mormugao established communication with the vessel at 1930 hours to ascertain if any assistance was required.
The Navy has launched an investigation into the incident including the origin of the strike, said an official on the condition of anonymity as the matter is sensitive in nature.
The incident came against the backdrop of Iran-backed Houthi rebels stepping up attacks on ships in the Red Sea amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
A Gabon-flagged commercial crude oil tanker with 25 Indian crew members also reportedly came under a drone attack in the Southern Red Sea but no one was injured, Indian officials and the US military said on Sunday.
The US Central Command said the vessel, MV Sai Baba, was targeted by a drone launched by Houthi militants in the Southern Red Sea on Saturday.
In the Arabian Sea incident, the Indian Coast Guard on Saturday night said MV Chem Pluto started making its way towards the Mumbai post undertaking damage assessment and repairs on its power generation systems.
"Indian Coast Guard Ship Vikram will be escorting the ship during its passage. The Indian Coast Guard Operations Centre is monitoring the situation closely," it said.
On Saturday, the UKMTO which operates under Britain's Royal Navy said it received a report of an attack by Uncrewed Aerial System on a vessel causing an explosion and fire, adding the incident took place 200 nautical miles South West of Veraval in India.
It said the fire was "extinguished" and there were no casualties.
The UKMTO is a British military organisation that provides maritime security information and largely acts as the primary point of contact for merchant vessels involved in maritime incidents.
The Coast Guard said its Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Mumbai received information regarding the fire onboard MV Chem Pluto.
